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6 Steps To Prevent You From Getting SCAMMED

You can use these 6 steps to help prevent you from getting scammed when buying an item online. Nothing is 100%, but the more information you have the less chance you will be taken advantage of.

1. Never send cash through the mail. Always use a Postal Money Order, secure online payment method, or check whenever you can. If a seller wants cash walk away. When mailing a money order, or check, always get the "Tracking" option (around $0.70 USPS). This will at least give you some proof the item was delivered. This goes for sellers too. Always track your packages to avoid people saying they didn't receive it. Getting "Signature Confirmation" is an even better option because it requires a signature upon delivery (around $2 USPS). Also insurance is always a good idea. Priority mail through USPS includes tracking, and some insurance. Please check the USPS web site for mote details. The bigger the paper trail you leave the more evidence you have in case you get scammed. Also avoid sending anything to PO Boxes if possible.

2. When using Paypal never send as "Gift" or "Money Owed". If you send money this way you cannot file a dispute through Paypal if you get scammed. If someone asks you to send money this way its a sure bet its a scam. Always send money as "Payment For Goods", and write a description of the item in the message field. If something goes wrong you have 45 days to file a dispute in Paypal. If you have not received your item by the 40th day open a dispute. If the seller tries to stall, and/or says they will not refund your money unless you close the dispute then immediately escalate the dispute to a claim and let Paypal handle it. But do not file a dispute until it reaches at least 35 days. Delayed deliveries are not uncommon, especially from China. Depending where you live, and type of delivery method used, China deliveries can run a minimum of 21 days. If its a holiday there it could run longer. Check HERE for holidays, and plan your orders accordingly for faster delivery.

3. Use a middle man. A middle man is a trusted member that you can send the money to, and also have the seller send the item to. If the middle man sees that there are no problems they will forward the money, and item to their respective places. The extra shipping is usually covered by the buyer, but any arrangements can be made. This is highly recommended when the seller has no reputation, few posts, or is new.

4. Never buy anything without posted pictures/videos of the working item. If they are a new member ask for pictures/videos with their name, and date next to the item. Even if the posts are deleted after the sale they can be brought back to present as evidence if you get scammed. Forums like this are usually backed up.

5. Check out the Seller Review section of this forum. This section is loaded with good, and bad reviews of the dealings between members, and companies. If you don't find the member/company name you can make a thread in that section and ask if some members have dealt with the seller in the past. Or ask a few Senior Members what are their opinions about the member/company in question.

6. Always check out a members profile page. Check how long they have been a member, and how many posts they have posted during their time here. There are no guarantees here, but if you have a member that's been here a year+, with over 500 posts, chances are you can trust them. If you have a member that just joined, with a handful of posts, use extreme caution. Never buy anything from a member with no posts that PMs you. If the seller is reluctant to comply with any of the steps above, walk away.

Fraud on the internet is illegal, and a felony in the US. Always report any instances of fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, and then to the sellers local police station, and postal office.

Lastly, if it sounds to good to be true it often is. Remember talk is cheap, on the internet its free. Don't be enticed by the "Deal of a lifetime". If you have a seller reluctant to work with you at any point than take your money elsewhere.

Be safe, and good luck.

TJ

PS: Not a step, but a warning when paying full price up front for custom work done online, and in real life.

To the buyer,

One definitely has to be careful when paying full price up front for something to be custom built. If you're dealing with a builder who requires full payment up front its probably because they cant cover the build costs. If they cant cover the build cost then you're dealing with someone who doesn't have much of a financial cushion to get them out of trouble if something goes awry. And things have gone awry many times, even with the best of the builders.

Deposits are different because it is common to take a deposit on custom work as proof of commitment on your side, but if someone says they need the full price in advance for a long time frame project it should set off alarm bells for a prudent buyer. Refer to step 2 above.

To the seller,

If you are not financially prepared to cover any extra costs occurred from unforeseen troubles then you should not be offering up items for sale, or custom work. This includes custom parts/units, complete builds, and especially Group Buys.** Group Buys can grow into long term commitments, and spin financially out of control easily. If you don't have the financial means to cover possible Group Buy hurtles then you should think twice about running one. If you are commissioned to do custom work communication is a must, even if you don't hear from the buyer for long periods. Always keep your client in the loop, and send updates of your progress at regular intervals. If an issue does comes up the buyer will be more understanding, and trusting if they know exactly what is going on the whole time. If you find yourself getting too deep, STOP, and try to work out a refund situation. You can dig a hole only so deep before it finally buries you.

**This often happens when there is a shipping SNAFU. The buyer is only responsible for the agreed shipping cost of the completed item. If there is an error in the shipment to you for the Group Buy, and/or parts for a build, you (the seller) are responsible for ALL costs. You are also responsible if a package gets lost in the mail on way to the buyer, which means a full refund to the buyer if you cannot prove it was delivered. Paypal will lock your account if they get good reason, so take all necessary precautions to prevent a financial meltdown. Refer to step 1 above.
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Last edited by TechJunkie; 12-03-2013 at 07:06.
Reason: Spellin'

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